What is diamond in the rough restaurant?

[TheMartellFamily]

What was a restaurant you went to and did not expect it to be really good and it surprised you?

[Nicki'sMom]

I was very surprised at how good 1900 Park Fare was. I thought all the offerings were very tasty and freshly made. We are going back for dinner and breakfast this time.

[Jared]

Kona Cafe was originally a surprise. I read about the merits of breakfast, but fewer posters talk about the restaurant as a viable dinner option.

Now, my family eats dinner at Kona Cafe every trip.

[EmisDisneyMom]

Akershus in Norway - none of the food sounded good and I have been back several times since.

[Natazu]

Jym's Top-7 Best Unsung Disney Restaurants that People Never Try:
7. Concourse Steakhouse
6. Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch)
5. Garden Grill
4. Grand Floridian Café
3. Olivia’s
2. Marrakesh
1. Kona Café

[Tinkerfreak]

Garden Grill. We tried this on one of our first trips and were expecting it to be all about the characters for our DD's but were really pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. We have been back a few times and have had great food every time. Plus our DD loves Chip and Dale and this is always one of her favorite character experiences. We have some wonderful pictures of my Mom's first trip with us and all of our group with Chip and Dale. They are doing some funny things like messing with her hair etc.

[kakn7294]

I don't know if it qualifies as a diamond in the rough, but we had a great experience at Tony's nearly 2 weeks ago. We were disappointed to have been seated outside when it was so hot and a potential storm was brewing, but when it was all said and done, the storm held off, the porch was cooler than we expected, and the food was better than we expected. We had a great time people-watching, especially since there was a P&P party that night and we could see everyone coming in with their costumes on.

[Momof2boys]

Garden Grill & Liberty Tree. I'm not one for family style meals, but these were both a great surprise for my family. The food was good, fresh, and quite tasty. We'll be sure to eat there again.

[bleukarma]

I was actually surprised by Raglan Road at DTD. I've heard good and bad about it so I went in not expecting much. Now it is a favorite!

[Disnamic Duo]

For us, Hollywood & Vine was a very pleasant surprise. We booked it just because we had never eaten there. We weren't really expecting much (just a typical buffet), but we thought the food was all very good - better than an average buffet.

For c.s., Pepper Market at CSR was way better than expected. We stayed there a couple years ago, and went there to eat just because we were there. We'd heard a lot of mixed reviews about it, but we now think it's the best c.s. at WDW. The variety is excellent!

[pox24]

Olivia's at Old Key West.

[SignguyTom]

Pecos Bills surprised me. They served one of the best burgers I've ever had and the topping bar was awesome.

The Big River Grille & Brewery at The Boardwalk surprised me as well. Good food, excellent beers, good service and atmosphere.

[poeticeclipse]

Mama Melrose is my diamond in the rough. I heard a lot of negatives and a few positives. The menu suited us so we went. Ended up LOVING it! Everything was just wonderful and it was all reasonably priced.

[ElenitaB]

I was going to say Mama Melrose as well. We went a few years ago and I really disliked it, but gave it another try last May and it was surprisingly good (in spite of the raw asparagus).

Our other "road less travelled" restaurants include Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch and POR's Boatwrights.

[GrumpyFan]

Spoodles on the Boardwalk was a big suprise for us. We had passed it by several times simply because we had no idea what "Mediterranean" meant. We tried it on a whim in Feb of 2006, and fell in love with it. We'll be back there with a party of 14 in 9 days and are looking forward to it.

[DestinationWDW]

Liberty Tree for me....the whole sponsored by Stoffer's thing always kind of scared me off! Food was very good, meats great and dessert delish! Will definitely try there for lunch - salmon on griddled pumpkin bread sounds very unStofferish!

[tundramom]

Marrakesh for us (except the bastille) was a pleasant surprise. We're going back again this trip. Glad to hear someone say Spoodles, thanks to the Teppanyaki delay that's where we ended up for 10/14.

[Jared]

Mama Melrose is my diamond in the rough. I heard a lot of negatives and a few positives. The menu suited us so we went. Ended up LOVING it! Everything was just wonderful and it was all reasonably priced.

We've had two great experiences at this restaurant also. Since we have such great Italian food in New York, we expected to be disappointed.

We were disappointed to discover the delicious bread and pesto spread is now an appetizer instead of a handout.

[TBY2225]

Another vote for Kona Cafe! It is my favorite and we will be going again next month!

[mvelez15]

Marakesh had an awesome lemon chicken...it fell right off of the bone. My family is full of picky eaters but I some how convinced them to give it a go. They loved it.also the catfish at Garden Grill..mmmm